In Ardèche, the stones, golden or blueish, recount history and times past.
Alba la Romaine, dressed in black and white, its façades a checkerboard of basalt and limestone, has a heart that beats to the rhythm of two thousand years of history.
A bit further south, perched on a hilltop, clinging valiantly to its mountain, there's Balazuc. This village with its southern atmosphre, is all cut stone and labyrinths of lanes.
A few kilometers from there, nestled in the hollow of a valley, the village of Labeaume lies in the sun in an arid, magical site, almost lunar. Surrounded on all sides by cliffs, by ruiniform rock in tormented shapes, it displays like an amphitheatre its labyrinth of small passages and narrow streets lined with shingle houses or beautiful, arcaded residences.
Further north, in the foothills of Cévennes, stones tinted with white and ochre glimmer in the southern sun which inundates with light the green vineyards encasing the village of Vinezac, sitting there like a picture postcard.
Like them, forty villages have decided to spruce up their heritage while making it accessible to all. Thirteen of them have grouped together around a charter of quality, to better welcome you and share with you their traditions.
A brochure is at your disposal at the Comité Départemental du Tourisme (tourist office).
These villages are: Ailhon, Alba la Romaine, Antraigues, Balazuc, Banne, Beauchastel, Chalencon, Labeaume, Meyras (www.meyras-tourisme.com), Naves, St Montan, Vinezac and Vogüé.